Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast is an easy and delicious breakfast recipe that you can make ahead of time. It's the perfect sweet addition to your holiday brunch menu or for a cozy weekend at home.
Jump to:
- Easy Apple French Toast Casserole
- Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake Video Tutorial
- Baked Apple French Toast Ingredients
- How To Make Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast
- Recipe Variations for Apple French Toast Casserole
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Storing And Reheating
- Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast Recipe
- More Of The Best Apple Recipes
Easy Apple French Toast Casserole
As far as cooler weather breakfasts go, this Baked French Toast with apples and cinnamon is one of the coziest. It's filled with chunks of your favorite French toast bread, loads of apples, baking spices, and a buttery cinnamon sugar streusel topping.
One of my favorite things about this apple French toast bake is that you can make it the night before. The next morning, just pull it out while you preheat the oven and bake away while you enjoy your morning coffee.
If you are looking for more overnight French toast recipes, you may also love this Mixed Berry French Toast Bake, Coconut French Toast Bake, or Pumpkin Stuffed French Toast Bake.
Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake Video Tutorial
Baked Apple French Toast Ingredients
- French Bread - a large loaf of French bread works great, as does a large loaf of challah or brioche. Cut the bread into 1" chunks.
- Apples - I like to use crisp, tart apples that will hold up well to baking. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Gala apples are all great choices. You can either peel or not - it's up to you. Then dice into ½" pieces.
- Milk - you can use whole milk or 2% milk.
- Eggs - any type of large eggs work great.
- Brown Sugar - you can use either light or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will give you a stronger molasses flavor.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract has the best flavor.
- Baking Spices - I like to use cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves but feel free to use a combination of your favorite baking spices. Ground ginger would taste great, too. You will need a little more than 1 teaspoon total.
Cinnamon Sugar Streusel
- Butter - you can use either salted or unsalted butter. Make sure it is soft by either pulling out ahead of time to room temperature or warming gently in the microwave for about 10 seconds at a time.
- Brown Sugar - again, either light or dark brown sugar will work. It just depends on the flavor profile you prefer. The darker the sugar, the more molasses flavor.
- Flour - all-purpose flour works great.
- Cinnamon - use your favorite ground cinnamon.
How To Make Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast
- Prepare the bread and apples. Cut your bread into ¾"- 1" chunks and add to a 9" x 13" baking dish that is lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Add your apples, too, then set aside.
- Make the egg mixture. In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk well. Add the milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and whisk again until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Combine the bread, apples, and egg mixture. Add the egg mixture to the bread and apples and fold together until all the bread chunks are coated.
- Refrigerate. Cover the French toast bake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-48 hours.
- Make the streusel. To make the streusel, add the room temperature butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir or mix with your hands until the mixture forms ¼" pieces. Sprinkle the streusel over the prepared apple cinnamon french toast.
- Bake. Allow the baking dish to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before putting into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
Recipe Variations for Apple French Toast Casserole
Try these easy recipe variations. Feel free to get creative and experiment with different combinations and ingredients to make your Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake uniquely yours.
- Crunchy Topping: Add a delightful crunch to your Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake by sprinkling a mixture of crushed granola and chopped walnuts on top before baking.
- Maple Pecan: Drizzle maple syrup over the finished Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake and generously sprinkle with toasted pecans.
- Mixed Berry: Add a burst of freshness to your French Toast Bake by incorporating a variety of seasonal berries. Simply toss some fresh or frozen berries into the mixture before baking.
- Cream Cheese Swirl: Create a creamy surprise by swirling softened cream cheese into the Apple Cinnamon French Toast mixture before baking.
- Caramel Apple: Drizzle a generous amount of warm caramel sauce over the top just before serving.
- Chocolate Chip: Indulge your chocolate cravings by adding a handful of chocolate chips to the mixture before baking. As they melt, the chocolate will create pockets of gooey goodness throughout the French toast bake, making it a truly irresistible treat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nope! If you don’t have time for an overnight casserole, just give yourself an additional 20 minutes or so to let the milk mixture soak into the bread chunks. After that time, just add the streusel topping, toss into the oven, and bake as directed.
For French toast, you want to choose a sturdy bread that will be able to absorb lots of liquid. Some of the best choices are French bread, baguettes, brioche, and challah.
Your baked French toast is done when the edges are lightly golden brown and it is set in the center. If you notice the edges are browning too quickly you can cover them with a little aluminum foil.
Storing And Reheating
- Refrigerator: store leftovers covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: freeze the unbaked Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake by wrapping well with both plastic wrap and aluminum foil and storing frozen for up to 1 month. Pull the casserole from the freezer the day before you plan to serve and let it defrost in the fridge overnight. The next morning, pull out to room temperature and bake as directed.
- Reheating: reheat in a 320 degree oven, covered with aluminum foil, for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.
Baked Apple Cinnamon French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf French Bread Challah Bread or brioche work too
- 3 cups Apples cut into ½" chunks
- 2 cups Milk
- 12 large Eggs
- ½ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 pinch Nutmeg
- 1 pinch Ground Cloves
Cinnamon Sugar Streusel
- 6 Tablespoons Butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
- ⅓ cup All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
Instructions
How to Make Cinnamon Apple French Toast Bake
- Spray or grease a 9" x 13" pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cut your bread into ¾"- 1" chunks and add to the greased baking pan along with your diced apples. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk well. Add the milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and whisk again until all ingredients are well-combined.
- Add the egg mixture to the bread and apples and fold together until all the bread chunks are coated.
- Cover the French toast bake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4-48 hours.
Baking the Apple French Toast Casserole
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- To make the streusel, add the room temperature butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon to a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir or mix with your hands until the mixture forms ¼" pieces.
- Sprinkle the streusel over the prepared apple cinnamon french toast, then allow the baking dish to come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then serve with whipped cream, fresh fruit, and your favorite syrup. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Of The Best Apple Recipes
- Apple Crisp- This has the most amazing crunchy oat topping.
- Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread- It's perfect for a holiday or brunch breakfast.
- Sausage and Apple Stuffing- It's our favorite around the holidays.
- Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip- If you're looking for an amazing cream cheese dip for fresh apples, you've gotta try this.
- Caramel Apples- These are step by step instructions to make the most amazing caramel apples.
- Apple Bread- It's super moist, tender, and buttery, with apples and cinnamon sugar swirled into each slice. Top with our easy glaze and serve for a sweet fall breakfast or afternoon snack.
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Apple Cinnamon French Toast Bake is an easy and delicious french toast bake you can make ahead of time. This Overnight Apple French Toast Bake is the perfect addition to any brunch menu if you have a crowd to feed or a holiday breakfast meal.
Lynn
Your video left out the brown sugar in the custard. I just noticed that when I looked at the recipe vs what you said in the video. I am getting ready to bake and I am sure with the topping it will be fine!
Jill Baird
Oh shoot, sometimes I am filming and forget to record everything. Thanks for letting me know.
Lea
This was amazing! My kids loved it!